PORTO VELHO:Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro said yesterday he was open to discussing G7aid for fighting fires in the Amazon if his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron"withdraws insults" made against him. Bolsonaro's remarks come amidan escalating war of words with Macron over the worst fires in years that havesparked a global outcry and threatened to torpedo a huge trade deal between theEuropean Union and South American countries.
Hours earlier, atop Brazilian official had rejected the G7 countries' offer of $20 million tocombat the fires devastating the forest in Brazil and Bolivia, saying Macronshould take care of "his home and his colonies." "Mr Macron mustwithdraw the insults he made against me," Bolsonaro told reporters in thecapital Brasilia. "To talk or accept anything from France, with the bestpossible intentions, he has to withdraw these words, and from there we cantalk."
Macron andBolsonaro have repeatedly locked horns in the past week, with the French leaderaccusing Bolsonaro of lying to him about his commitments on climate change andvowing to block the EU-Mercosur trade deal involving Brazil that took decadesto negotiate. On Monday, Macron condemned "extraordinarily rude"comments made about his wife Brigitte by Bolsonaro a day earlier. Bolsonaro hashit back, accusing Macron of treating Brazil like "a colony or no-man'sland."
The latestofficial figures show 1,659 new fires were started in Brazil between Sunday andMonday, taking the total this year to 82,285 - the highest since at least 2013- even as military aircraft and troops help battle the blazes. More than halfof the fires are in the massive Amazon basin. Bolsonaro - a climate-changeskeptic - has faced criticism at home over his delayed response to the firesand thousands have protested in Brazil in recent days to denounce thedestruction.
BestsellingBrazilian writer Paulo Coelho took to the internet to apologize - in French -for Bolsonaro's behavior. "This is a rather sad video to ask forgivenessof my French friends for the crisis - I would even say the hysteria ofBolsonaro regarding France, the French president, the French president'swife," he said in a message posted on Twitter. "As Amazonia burns,they have no argument except to insult, deny, say anything to avoid takingresponsibility," he added.
'Under control'
In the hard-hitnorthwestern state of Rondonia, thick smoke has choked the capital Porto Velhoin recent days as fires blacken swaths of the rainforest. Defense MinisterFernando Azevedo e Silva on Monday claimed that the fires were "undercontrol." "It has been exaggerated a little that the situation wasout of control - it wasn't," he said. "The situation isn't simple butit is under control." Nearly 2,500 troops and 15 aircraft, including twoC-130 Hercules, have been deployed, according to the defense ministry, whichhas published satellite data it says show a reduction in the number of fires inthe nine states spanning the Amazon.
More than 43,000troops were available to help put out fires, the government said previously.Images posted on the presidential office Twitter account Monday showedfirefighters wearing bright orange or yellow clothing using water backpacks to douseflames. Experts say increased land clearing during the months-long dry seasonto make way for crops or grazing has aggravated the recurring problem thisyear.
Although about 60percent of the Amazon is in Brazil, the vast forest also spreads over parts ofeight other countries or territories, including the French overseas territoryof Guiana on the continent's northeast coast. Bolivian President Evo Moralessaid Sunday he would accept international help to combat wildfires raging inhis country's southeast. Bolivia suspended election campaigning on Monday todeal with the voracious fires that have devastated more than 9,500 squarekilometers (3,600 square miles) of forest and grassland.- AFP